SYRIA DEVELOPS BIO-WEAPONS

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- Syria has advanced in efforts to produce biological
missile warheads.

The U.S. intelligence community has determined that the regime of President
Bashar Assad was developing an infrastructure for biological weapons
production. Officials said Assad has advanced the BW program through help
from China and North Korea.

"Syria's biotechnical infrastructure is capable of supporting limited
biological agent development," Defense Intelligence Agency director Michael
Maples said. "DIA assesses Syria has a program to develop select biological
agents."

Maples said Syria has sought to install biological and chemical warheads on
its missile arsenal. He said the programs were meant to deter Israel's
conventional force superiority.
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